


Hotel Notes

by Alliewren414



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: DamereyDaily2020, Drabble, F/M, Gen, Might not, Modern AU, Unfinished, just an idea, lawyer AU, might continue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22239076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alliewren414/pseuds/Alliewren414
Summary: Poe Dameron finds a distressing note in his hotel room;drabble, might continue, might not. Need to plot out more first.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 28
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I do not own star wars
> 
> from damereydaily2020 prompt list.  
> 4\. I write mostly on hotel paper, knowing that my thoughts are never going to leave this room

_Dear Friend,  
Is it alright that I call you that? I know we haven’t technically met. But I’m finding myself in desperate need of a friend. So, I’m going to make a grand assumption and say that we are. My name is...actually, it doesn’t matter what my name is. He will never let us meet anyway, especially not if you happen to be male. But being female wouldn’t help you either. He thinks all men are out to steal me from him - an ugly little thing like me, imagine that. And he also thinks that all females are conspirators and should never be left alone together...you know, he isn’t wrong about that, actually. I would conspire with any friend I had. We would conspire into the wee hours of the night, plotting my escape. I was going to escape after we moved, but then so many things happened and now I haven’t any money of my own, and I can’t take anything of his without him noticing. This is a new city, and we haven’t gotten the keys to our new place yet, there was some issue with the suite above ours so we weren’t allowed to move in for another two weeks. We’re moving in in 2 days, hopefully. Afterwards, I can begin plotting again. _

_My dear friend, I hope you don’t think of me as helpless or selfish, but...I have no excuse. I am helpless. I am all alone. I am writing an SOS on a piece of hotel paper, knowing that this is the only time I will have in the coming weeks to do so, and hoping, praying to a God I don’t believe in, that someone who is kind, someone with a big heart, someone who is willing to do the right thing - no matter what - will find this note. Someone will find this note and be willing to help me, or reach out to me in the smallest of ways. I completely understand if you don’t, but is it alright if I still call you my friend?_

_Yours, R._

_P.S. This is the address to a coffee shop near where we are going to be living once we can officially move in. I will be there every Tuesday at 8.15am, until 9am.  
_

Poe Dameron read the note twice, feeling like it was some elaborate hoax put on by his friend, Finn, who was staying in the conjoined room next to his. 

He heard a knock on the door between their rooms and went to open his side, revealing a haggard, exhausted Finn Storm; Poe’s best friend from college. Finn was a few years younger than Poe, but had humor like a whip and was always ready to stand up for his friends.

Poe and Finn were in town on business with Organa and Solo, a local-ish law firm that made it big in California. It was run by husband and wife Han Solo and Leia Organa; Poe and  
Finn were scheduled to meet with Leia Organa and her son, Ben Solo, on Monday.

“Hey buddy, this is your worst joke ever,” Poe slapped the note onto Finn’s chest.

“Poe, I couldn’t make my writing look like this if I tried. Besides, look at it, stupid,” Finn slapped the note back onto Poe’s chest.

“What am I looking for exactly?”

“Look at the way the ink is smeared,” Finn encouraged.

Poe looked, “Kriff, I’m an idiot.”

Finn nodded sagely, “a lawyer couldn’t tell when something was written by a leftie, rookie mistake.”

“Wait, read it Finn. What should we do?”

Finn skimmed over the note, and realizing it was slightly serious, read it over again. “Go to the coffee shop on Tuesday, obviously.”

Poe gaped at his friend.

“We can stay in town for as long as we like, we’re here on business and you co-own our firm with - wait for it - me. We can make this business trip last as long as we need. Just go to that cafe, and look for the left-handed female.”

“It sounds like she really needs help.” Poe muttered, mostly to himself.

Finn walked back into his own room and threw himself onto his bed. 

“If she needs help, Poe old friend, then you are the best person to give it to her.”

Poe nodded, he was the best family lawyer in their firm; he always ensured that the victims of domestic violence were given fair trials and not made victims of the court system - occasionally doing pro-bono work to help wives escape their asshole abusive husbands. He made a name for himself, albeit unintentionally, protecting women, and sometimes men, and their children from their abusive spouses, then helping them relocate and ensuring that their ex-spouse had no rights to any children involved, and could not follow their victim into their new life. 

Poe read the note for a fourth time, it sounded like this woman needed help; help that he happened to make a career out of providing.

“Hey Siri,” he said aloud to his work phone, “schedule coffee on Tuesday at 8am at Katana’s Cafe.”


	2. Second Guessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is having some anxiety. Ben is a piece of bantha dung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own star wars

“So what will you be doing tomorrow, while I’m at work, Breha?” Ben said mildly, while she was elbow deep in scalding dish water.

He had had his meeting with his mother that morning, but had taken the rest of Monday off to ensure everything got put away exactly how he liked it. They had just finished unpacking all their boxes in their new condo, Ben had insisted that the dishes be washed and dried before packing them, and then washed again after unpacking. 

_“You never know what is on those newspapers we wrap them in, best to just do it both times and know that they’re as clean as they’re ever going to be.”_ He had said.

“There’s a cafe a few blocks down the road, I might walk there and have a cappuccino before I do the grocery shopping,” she replied.

“I’ll leave my credit card with you so you can do that, but make sure you keep all of your receipts.”

She could tell just by the sound of his voice that he was already engrossed in his recycled crosswords. She had painstakingly collected newspapers for weeks before the move, knowing that he wasn’t going to buy any packing paper. Then she had to methodically go through each one - even the duplicates - and collect the puzzle pages, which he enjoyed so much. 

“What will you be having for lunch tomorrow?”

She knew this was a test. They had a business function to make an appearance at this weekend, some charity awareness thing his mother undoubtedly set up. 

“Probably a salad, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, maybe a little feta. Italian dressing.”

Ben nodded, “hold the dressing, you have to look good this weekend.”

She allowed her shoulders to slump, of course.

“Anything else?”

“Coffee and yogurt for breakfast,” she said softly. “No sugar, just a splash of cream.”

“Take it black.”

She bit back a sigh, “Ben…” she started.

“No, Breha. I would rather you stop drinking coffee entirely, then we wouldn’t have to go bleach your teeth every three months at the dentists, but I know you’re not going to kick it. Besides, you hate looking bloated in your dresses, so you best be drinking it black all week.”

She looked down at her impossibly flat abdomen, “alright,” she acquiesced. 

“I need you to look perfect for Saturday,” Ben continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “so you’ll have to double up on your workouts, and hold off on any dressings, or anything too salty. Too much salt makes your face puff up and I will not take that to my mother’s charity event, I’ll pick up some plain yogurt for you to have for breakfast after I finish at the gym tonight.”

She nodded, going back to scrubbing the immaculate dishes, hoping that her hands would burn with the heat or the bleach so she wouldn’t have to go on Saturday. If she didn’t have to go, then she could eat how she normally did - which was still heavily restricted, but at least then she would be able to put cream in her coffee.

“Breha,” Ben stated.

She flinched, she couldn’t help it. Her name was the only thing she had that was hers. She was dropped off at a fire station when she was an infant. Wrapped in a blanket with her name “BREHA” stitched on one corner. She must have been birthed at home, because there was no hospital records of an infant named Breha, there weren’t any records of any kind. Her birthday was a guesstimate, her last name was her foster father’s - Plutt. The condo belonged to Ben, as did most of everything in the closets. He made sure she was aware that he bought everything in the condo. 

Breha was all she had that was hers, really truly hers. But the way Ben said it made her skin crawl. Like she was some kind of disobedient animal, not his fiance. That, thankfully, was still a work in progress since her birth certificate was difficult to get since she didn’t actually have one with her parents names on it, let alone a last name. It was a long process to get a nobody a birth certificate, especially since she didn’t have a driver's license or any other kind of ID, aside from her old student card from uni - which was also expired.

“Breha!” Ben repeated, more forcefully.

“Yes, Ben?” She replied airily, making it obvious she was lost in her own mind.

She felt his hand rest on the nape of her neck, and forced herself not to flinch or react in any way. 

In the sink she gripped the blade end of a knife hard, feeling the honed blade slice through her fingers. She used the pain to keep herself grounded, to avoid falling into any panicky spiral his touch might induce. 

“Make sure you remember everything I told you today. No sugars, no salts, no additives of any kind. I need you looking like absolute perfection on Saturday. If you don’t I will be sorely disappointed. You wouldn’t want that,” he grazed her ear with his mouth, breathing hotly down her neck, “would you, Breha?”

She knew that she couldn’t even sneak any of the offensive material into her food. He had a very expensive, very precise kitchen scale that he hid somewhere she was never able to find, and he would weigh all of them - the salt, the sugar, the coffee cream, the salad dressing, all of it, before he left for work and then again when he got home. He would be in the worst mood if any of the numbers changed.

She gripped the knife tighter, causing the bubbles in the sink to turn pink. “No, sir,” she breathed.

“What have you done?” He demanded in a soft voice. Always so contradictory. “Come on, I can’t fix that here we have to go to the hospital. What a lovely bill that will be won’t it?”

“I can fix it myself, it’s okay.”

Ben plunged his hand into the soapy water and gripped her injured fingers roughly.

She cried out and dropped to her knees.

“Get in the car,” he seethed through his teeth. 

\-----------------------------------

Several hours later, Breha - or Rey, as she is called by her friends...or used to be anyway - sits alone in their newly unpacked living room. Her fingers were neatly stitched and should fully heal within the month. There would be scars, of course, but they lined up nicely with the natural line of her finger, which Ben was happy about. She was nothing if she wasn’t entirely aesthetically pleasing.

“Do your workout before you come to bed.” Ben’s voice carried from their shared room. 

Rey considered sleeping on the couch, or the floor, or really anywhere but with him.

“Of course, Ben.” She replied, getting to her feet to track down her yoga mat.

“Do the slimming workout, not the bulking one. I don’t need you looking like the Hulk on Saturday.”

“Understood,” she replied.

Earlier, Rey had considered not going to the coffee shop she had mentioned in her note a few days ago, but after tonight she decided it couldn’t hurt. 

_It’s not like it can get any worse._

She prayed to all the gods she was ever aware of, that someone had read her note. She prayed that someone would be there, if not to save her then at least to show her someone was listening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently the fics I write are only ever dark. So sorry about this, let me know what you think.


	3. Poe's Monday Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Monday morning meeting that takes place just before the previous chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own star wars  
> A/N: two updates in one day? damn. Go me. (might take a break after this tho, so the next update may be a bit)

“The meeting’s been pulled to 8,” Finn called from his room.

Poe leaned over the counter and checked his watch which he had yet to place on his wrist, it was 7:15, “I beg your pardon?” He called out, but his toothbrush was in his mouth so it sounded more like “I-eg-ore-ar-en?” 

Finn, of course, understood perfectly. “8 o’clock on the nose!” Finn called out, his voice garbled like he had his toothbrush in his mouth now too. (“ehh-o-awck ahn ah ose!”)

Poe spat into the sink and grabbed his razor and shaving cream from his toiletries bag, “it’s cool, we’ve gotten ready in less time before,” he shouted to Finn, sans toothbrush, slathering his face with the shaving cream.

“That was before we started wearing three piece suits, Dameron!” Finn called back, also sans toothbrush.

“Details!” Poe shouted, trying not to laugh as he ran his razor over his chin. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

They managed to make it to the boardroom with 2 minutes to spare, coffee in hand.

Of course, Leia Organa and her son were already there.

“Poe!” Leia said warmly, standing up and reaching out to him with both hands.

Poe walked over to her and placed the two cups he was carrying on the table before grasping her forearms with his hands. Leia was always particular about hugs, and this is as close to one she was going to give him in a professional environment.

“How’s your father?” She smiled warmly at him.

“As good as he can be,” Poe replied honestly. “He retired to Florida, determined to live out as many cliches as he can.”

They shared a laugh at the thought of Kes Dameron being anything other than an oddball.

Leia released his arms and turned to Finn.

“Finn!” She reached out to him.

Finn grasped her forearms and smiled widely at her, “Mrs. Organa-Solo.”

Poe saw Leia teasingly dig her nails into Finn’s suit jacket.

“Hey! Mind the Canali!” 

Leia immediately let go, “no way,” she muttered, dropping all professionalism and running her hand lightly along the sleeve of Finn’s jacket. Finn was wearing a charcoal grey suit and a blue shirt that was so light it almost looked white, with a broodingly dark red tie. Poe was inclined to call it burgundy, but Finn insisted it lacked the subtle blue hue to make it burgundy, and it was more of a mahogany. Poe didn’t really know the difference, he just knew that Finn looked damn good in that suit.

“He does have a Canali, but that isn’t it. His Canali is a rich dark blue, so dark it almost looks black, but so rich it is still very obviously blue, I know that doesn’t make much sense but he packed it specifically to show you. And yes, of course it looks fantastic on him.” Poe interjected.

“As if you’ve ever looked bad in a suit in your life,” Finn smirked at Poe, giving him an appreciative once over.

Poe was wearing his favourite suit - he called it his professor suit. It was a dark, dark, grey tweed; he and Finn both enjoyed suits that were half a step from being entirely black in colour. Underneath he had a pin-striped shirt, and a tie his father had given him. 

“Gentlemen, you’re both absurdly attractive, don’t go about inflating each other’s egos,” Leia chided them playfully.

“If we’re done socializing, we have a meeting to get to,” the other man in the room interjected.

“Benjamin, please,” Leia scoffed.

Poe caught Ben flinch in his peripheral vision. 

“Well, I would like to get this over with,” Ben huffed, “I’ve been waiting two weeks to move into my condo and I finally got all of our stuff in just this morning. I would like to get home to Breha so we can unpack.”

Poe’s ears perked at the familiarity of his statement, but then he remembered the note was signed R, Breha certainly did not start with an R.

Must just be some freaky coincidence, he thought. Although he instinctively kept his mind open about it, knowing damn well that coincidences weren’t common in his line of work. 

“How is she?” Leia inquired, “Breha,” she added when it seemed like Ben wasn’t going to answer.

“She’s better, she’s on a new diet again, been working out like crazy, and still looking for engineering jobs since her scholarship for her Masters fell through.”

“I don’t understand why she is always dieting, Ben.” Leia said sharply. “She’s always been so frail, even when she was young and had a bottomless stomach.”

“A lot of weird allergies have cropped up recently, so she’s dwindled her diet down to the sheer basics, mother,” Ben talked over Leia smoothly, “she’s going to slowly incorporate new foods back in until she finds out what’s been bothering her stomach.”

Finn caught Poe’s eye and raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

Poe furrowed his brow, confused.

Finn flicked his eyes in Ben’s direction and minutely wiggled his shoulders.

_Body language,_ Poe thought as understanding dawned on him. 

Ben’s arms were crossed tightly across his chest, and his shoulders were squared as if he was gearing up for a physical confrontation.

This was not the way a person should appear when talking about someone they’re seemingly in love with.

“And I’m so sorry to hear about the wedding,” Leia took her seat and deftly plucked up the coffee Poe had brought in for her.

“Oh, I have one for you too, sir!” Finn said, placing a tall cup of coffee in front of Ben, “we didn’t put anything in it but brought little creamers and sugars if you need.”

Ben scoffed and took a sip of the coffee as is.

Poe sipped his caramel macchiato, something Finn teased him mercilessly about, but he liked his drinks sweet. Coffee should not taste like coffee, in Poe’s opinion. 

“Anyway, the wedding didn’t happen because of Breha’s birth certificate. We’re still working on that.”

“It was quite unfortunate, I was very excited to welcome her to the family, officially that is. She knows she’s already family to me and your father.”

“Well,” Ben huffed, “she’s mine in every other way. She’s mine. No piece of paper, or lack thereof is going to change that.”

Alarms were blaring in Poe’s mind; Breha may not be the woman who wrote the note but she was certainly in need of help as well.

“Benjamin Solo!” Leia warned. “So sorry, gentlemen,” she turned to Finn and Poe, “it seems that I have to have a chat with my son. This meeting was more of a formality than anything else, you know how things work here, Poe. Let’s just call it a day and I’ll see you soon, alright?”

Poe nodded and rose from his seat, Finn mirrored Poe.

“We’ll be in touch,” Poe promised.

“See you later this week,” Finn gave a half wave.

Poe and Finn found themselves being visually ushered out of the boardroom by Leia’s apologetic stare and Ben’s glare.

Finn quietly shut the door behind them and they just stood in front of it for a second, catching their breath and trying to reconcile what just happened in that boardroom.

“I know,” a voice behind them said, “what an asshole, hey?”

“Rose!” Another voice rang out.

“What? I don’t work here, and Han loves me, he’ll accept that I sometimes talk shit about his asshole son.”

“That is true,” the girl who worked there said. “Rey is definitely too good for him, I just wish she was able to see that.”

Poe’s ears perked at the mention of an R-name. 

“Sorry, don’t mean to eavesdrop,” he smiled charmingly at the girls, a quick look between the two made it obvious that they were sisters. The older of the two was Leia’s secretary, she donned a simple black pant suit with a white collared shirt; the younger was dressed in jeans and a flannel with her coat draped over her arm. 

Finn noticed the takeaway bag on the desk and smiled, “are you reminding your sister to eat? Poe and I have to do that to each other all the time.”

The younger one smiled at Finn, “I’m Rose, by the way,” she held out her hand to Finn, “Rose Tico. This is my sister, Paige.”

Finn took Rose’s hand and gave it a friendly shake, “I’m Finn, Finn Storm. This is my buddy Poe Dameron!”

Poe smiled at the girls and took Rose’s hand in turn, “pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh you sound so lawyer-y,” Paige giggled from her desk.

“Sorry to backtrack, but I heard you mention someone named Rey? I thought that Ben’s fiance’s name was Breha?”

“Oh it is, but we call her Rey,” Rose nodded enthusiastically, “Benjamin in there is the only one that still calls her Breha, and we don’t want to have any sort of association with that asshole so she lets us call her Rey.”

“You know her then?” Poe prodded gently.

“Yeah, we sort of grew up together just outside of Sacramento, but then Benjamin wanted to work out here since his degree didn’t pan out, so he came back to work for his parents.”

“His degree?” Poe asked, confused. “Is he also a lawyer then?”

The sisters both snorted, it was cute how similar they were despite their age difference, it was obvious to Poe and Finn that they were very close. 

“He is most definitely not a lawyer,” Paige said through a giggle, “he went to school for aerospace engineering.”

Poe raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed.

“He was going for his Masters, but then he threw a shitfit during his last semester and had to be physically removed from the campus by police. He says that the program was bullshit and he wasn’t feeling challenged, but really the school doesn’t want him to return and no other University in the states will take him on to complete his Masters. He doesn’t want to work in aerospace engineering with just his Bachelor’s though.”

“What a piss-baby,” Finn muttered under his breath.

Rose’s eyes widened as she took in the man, “that’s what I’m saying!” She exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder.

Poe saw the slight flinch that Finn had when he saw her hand swinging at him, Finn wasn’t able to stop himself in time to make sure it didn’t happen at all; Rose saw too because she immediately placed her hand back on his shoulder and rubbed soothing circles with an apologetic look in her eye.

Poe raised a questioning brow at Finn, who jerked a short nod; he was okay.

“So he can’t finish his Masters and won’t do any work with a lesser title? Then what was the point of going to school?”

“He wanted to be like his uncle, Luke Skywalker. Leia’s twin brother.”

Poe nodded, they had met before. Leia was a good friend to Poe’s late mother, and remained in contact with his father after her passing. He had met Luke once or twice, he was a bit of a recluse, but as far as Poe could tell he was an absolute genius.

“Anyway, he met Rey in his last semester, she was about three semesters behind him but like way younger,” Paige butt in, since Rose was busy gently comforting Finn.

“How much younger?” Poe asked.

“She’s 26, he’s 34.” Paige shrugged.

Poe shrugged one shoulder, he was two years older than Ben.

“But she’s bloody brilliant. She graduated high school early, taking two years worth of courses at the same time. Then she was doing 5 course semesters on her scholarship. Aces across the board. I heard that Luke wanted to take her on as his apprentice, in lieu of her going to school for her Masters, instead he was going to give her all hands on stuff and then she could get twice the experience in half the time and be the youngest ME in the state.”

“What happened?” Poe inquired, ignoring the probing look he was getting from Finn; Poe was never one to pry or ask too many questions about someone he had never met before.

“She never answered his letter, and then she never came back to school to get her Masters. No one’s really heard from her since she got her Bachelors. She, Rose and I were really close when she was going to school. I used to work at a local firm near the school, and Rose and I are basically inseparable. It’s sheer luck that we’re all living near each other again, but we haven’t heard from her in almost two years.” Paige shrugged.

Poe reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his card and a pen, “please let me know if you hear from her,” he wrote his personal number on the back of the card as well. “Or if Ben does anything....shady or off-putting.”

Paige took the card but furrowed her brow at him, a silent question.

“I have a hunch and I really hope that I’m wrong, I’ll tell you more when I know more. Promise.”

Paige nodded and pulled out her phone, peeling off the plastic case and stuffing his card between the phone and the case. 

She nodded to him and held up her sealed up phone, as if to say ‘got it, it’s not going anywhere.’

Poe nodded and shook her hand once more, then Rose’s as well.

“It was a pleasure speaking with you ladies,” he nodded at Finn who nodded back and prepared himself to leave.

Poe noticed Finn hand his card to Rose; he couldn’t see Finn’s face but he saw the girl blush and assumed Finn winked at her.

Always the charmer.

The pleasant exchange did nothing to the worry blooming in Poe’s chest, he hoped to all the gods he was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: any feedback is appreciated. I'm going to try to write this as a Poe/Rey/Poe/Rey alternating perspective, so in scenes where they're together there may end up being 'duplicate' chapters, because alternating perspectives in one scene is really confusing for me to write. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I'll have more for you as soon as I can mentally process the next chapter.


	4. Coffee with a Friend (Rey)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's coffee meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars  
> TW/mentions of weight control (is there a word for this?); TW/Implied Sexual Abuse, TW/ Implied Physical Abuse, TW/Implied eating disorder

Chapter Four: Coffee With A Friend - Rey POV

Rey sat at Katana’s cafe a full thirty minutes before 8. She wasn’t sure what she was nervous about, but Ben had left early that morning as well so he wouldn’t notice that she left for her Tuesday chores comically early. Today she was allowed to buy seventy dollars worth of groceries, sticking strictly to the list in her purse - which Ben had also taken the liberty of texting to her, just in case. As well as five dollars on a cappuccino at this little cafe.

She had ordered the cappuccino 15 minutes after she came in, finally settling her nerves enough to crave her caffeine fix. 

She stared into the cup contemplatively, tapping her pen against her journal, her mind bringing her back to the previous night.

_She had just finished her workout and wandered into the bathroom to take a cold shower - Ben insisted that it was easier for her to keep the weight off if she did. The mirror still had traces of steam on it from his shower over 30 minutes prior._

_She rolled her neck around, trying to soothe a few kinks out before all her muscles contracted from the blast of cold water._

_“Hold on,” his voice came from behind her. Soft, but menacing._

_She had to force herself not to flinch._

_“Here,” he slapped a scale on the floor._

_Rey looked down at it, frowning slightly._

_“Take off your clothes, Breha,” Ben said, voice still soft and frightening; holding all of the authority he had over her in such a simple sentence._

_She complied without question, knowing that it had been a fair while since they did this particular dance._

_“Well, let’s get this over with,” he gestured to the scale, “I have and early day tomorrow, and you have plenty of errands to run, don’t you?”_

_Rey nodded minutely, and stepped on the scale._

_“Keep your head up,” he said training his eyes to the digital screen, waiting for the results._

_After a moment he sighed, “119, Breha.”_

_Rey could almost feel her heart collapse in her chest._

_“That’s three pounds up from where we were, what happened? Do we need to cut your dinner portion again?”_

_She shook her head vehemently, blinking to keep back her tears._

_“The numbers say otherwise, Breha.”_

_A cold, disgusting feeling crept up her spine at the way he said her name. The way he was dictating every aspect of her existence. But she knew she was trapped. She knew that she had nowhere to go._

_They had connected their bank accounts in anticipation of their marriage, and Ben said that unlinking them was a lengthy process so they didn’t bother. The meagre sum that was in her account went towards the down payment for this condo._

_“It’s not much, in the grand scheme of things,” Ben told her, “but it’s enough that we’ll get an easier monthly payment, thank you, Breha.” It was the only time he had ever thanked her for anything over the course of their entire two year relationship._

_Any small sum that landed in her account was immediately removed to pay any bills or debts in Ben’s name, while the majority of his money went away to pay off the condo, the car, or the food in the cupboards._

_She was eternally grateful to him for supporting her through her last three semesters of her Bachelor’s, at least...that’s what she told herself every day._

_“Ben,” she whispered, “I haven’t had my period in months.”_

_“That has nothing to do with this, obviously you’re just not able to conceive so your body gave up on the entire process; I thought you were smart, why don’t you know that?”_

_He said it with such conviction that she almost believed him; she began questioning everything she ever learned from her foster parents.  
_

“Hello Friend,” a voice interrupted her reverie.

“I’m sorry?” She smiled politely at the man. He had on a blue-green tweed suit, with a plaid vest, and a canary-yellow patterned tie, and a long dark green, almost black wool coat draped over his arm. Around his neck he still had on a grey plaid scarf. It was a combination of colours Rey would never imagine working out, but the man in front of her pulled it off; his olive-toned skin and dark hair with five o’clock shadow seemed to work with any and all palettes, and he seemed to know this and use it to his advantage.

He smiled broadly at her, showing off a glorious set of dimples, “is it alright if I call you that? Friend?”

She blinked at him, he couldn’t possibly -

“I find myself in desperate need of a friend, so I am going to make the grand assumption and say that we are just that. Friends.” With that he threw his coat over the back of the chair across from her and set his briefcase down next to it.

“Pardon me a second, friend,” he smiled warmly at her, “I’m just going to grab myself a coffee,” his eyes darted to her table and he added, “would you like something to eat?”

She shook her head minutely, still in shock at her own words being said to her, albeit slightly altered.

She stared after him, feeling a warmth build up inside her. Looking at this stranger she felt...almost at home. Not at the condo, but back at her foster parent’s home, by the warm fire with a cup of cocoa in hand. How she longed for those days, before rejected scholarships, rejected apprenticeships, and Ben. Most of all before Ben.

She shook herself out of that line of thought.

“Blueberry or chocolate chip?” The overly friendly man asked, suddenly appearing across the table from her, she must have disappeared back into her mind for a few minutes.

“Um,” was all she said.

“Of course, chocolate chip.” He plonked a plate in front of her with the largest muffin she had ever seen. “Forgive me, for being so forward but I’ve always hated eating with someone who wasn’t also eating and - no offence - but you look like you’re starving.”

Now that he said it, she realized it. The hollow feeling in her abdomen was hunger, a feeling that she had been largely ignoring for the better part of a year.

Without another word she tore off a large chunk of the muffin and took a huge bite.

The man smiled at her, “my name is Poe Dameron,” he spoke softly but deliberately, “and if you are who I think you are, I am here to tell you that it very much does matter what your name is, and I am here to be your friend, if you’ll have me.”

Rey swallowed her bite and took a large sip of her, somehow still scalding, cappuccino. 

Poe sat there quietly, he was probably the least intimidating person Rey had ever seen in her life. To the point where she considered that it might have taken deliberate action on his part; and as far as she knew, since he had read her note, it was all deliberate to get her to trust him.

 _ **But what if he’s a friend of Ben’s, trying to get you to talk shit about him. He’s here to get you in trouble.**_ A small, wicked voice in the back of her mind hissed.

She ignored it and said, “I’m Rey.”

His grin widened to a genuine smile that warmed Rey to the tips of her toes. “Rey,” he said contemplatively.

She tried to ignore the way her skin flared at the sound of her name on his lips, almost like his voice was caressing her. 

“What can I do for you, Mister Dameron?” She smiled cordially at him.

“Well, see I’ve found this note in my hotel room,” he pulled the note out of his vest pocket; the solitary sheet of hotel stationary was distressed, as if it had been living in various pockets of Poe’s, constantly being handled, folded and unfolded. For all she knew, that’s precisely what happened. 

“Are you still planning to escape?” He asked her softly.

She was stricken, trying in vain to remember what she wrote before her mind was engulfed by the memory of that night.

_They had been at the hotel for weeks, Ben was getting restless about moving into the condo which he had drained their accounts for._

_“I just don’t understand why it is so difficult for someone to double check a move in date,” he snarled at her._

_She was in charge of most of the daytime calling when he was at work, he always double checked their phone bill to make sure she wasn’t making any illicit phone calls, so she would only make the ones he left on a list for her on the mornings where they were relevant. A morning a few weeks back included finalizing the condo they were moving into, as well as transferring both of them to another doctor, dentist, and physio-therapist for Ben._

_“I’m very sorry Ben, they assured me when I called last month that they would be ready for the 1st, but they’re not keeping our payment for this month, it’s going to carry over to the next month even if we spend most of this month in the condo,” she was rambling._

_He hated it when she rambled._

_He slammed his hands on the borrowed dining room table in their suite, “I don’t give a shit what they said to you on the phone. I only care that it was not ready when you told me it would be ready. How stupid of you to not double check before we made the drive down here. I drove us here by myself. I was exhausted and ready to find our new place and meet the moving truck the following day. How naive do you have to be to not confirm a simple appointment, Breha? What would you do without me? Probably forget to buy yourself food and die, that’s what. You complete imbecile.”_

_With that he walked out of the suite, throwing his coat over his shoulders and roughly slamming his feet into his shoes before dramatically slamming the door.’_

_Rey used his absence as time to write her note, fearing what was definitely going to occur when he returned. She and Ben had very different ideas of what an apology was, and who was to do the apologizing._

_Regardless of which way the apology was going to go, she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to leave the bed tomorrow, and would likely have bruises around her arms and neck from his ‘I accept your apology’ sex._

_She refused to refer to it as lovemaking, even in the depths of her mind.  
_

“Rey?” Poe’s voice gently prodded her out of her mind.

“Sorry,” she blinked back a fresh set of tears, “what were you saying?”

He gently slid a napkin across the table to her, “escape?” He reminded softly.

“I don’t know how,” she half sobbed, wiping at her face before her makeup would run.

“I could help you,” he offered.

“I have to go.” She stood abruptly.

“At least take this,” his voice remained soft, as he slowly reached into his pocket.

Rey flinched when she couldn’t see his hand anymore, but Poe continued moving slowly.

“I’m just grabbing my card for you, is that alright?”

Keeping her eyes shut she nodded.

“Sunshine," her heart leapt at the endearment, "I need you to look at me,” Poe’s soft voice was falling on her ears like gentle waves, she had never been so softly spoken to in her entire adult life.

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open.

“This is my card, I’m going to reach into my other pocket for a pen, is that alright?” He asked, genuinely concerned.

She held out her left hand, which still held her pen.

“Oh, thank you,” his face cracked into a smile as he slowly reached out to take the pen from her.

Rey nodded in reply.

“I’m going to write my personal number on here, and if you need help I want you to call me. At any time, do you understand me?”

Rey stared at him.

“Any. Time.” He insisted.

After a few beats of silence she nodded.

He held her pen out to her with his card secured in the lip of the cap.

Tentatively, she reached out to take it from him. Scared that he would grasp her arm and pull her across the table she snatched the card away and pulled back quickly.

She grabbed her coat and purse and practically ran out the door, into the gentle snowfall; putting on her jacket as she jogged away from the cafe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: let me know what you think, the next chapter will be this same interaction but from Poe's perspective.


	5. Coffee with a Battle-worn Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own star wars  
> A/N: this was so much better in my head, but I promised a PoePOV chapter so here it is. Might go back and tweak it once I'm back in a good writing headspace.

Poe stood in front of the closet in his hotel room, the door connecting his and Finn’s room was wide open, he could faintly hear the sound of the news playing through the opening. Finn was still in bed, catching up on the news, reading books on his phone, just having a good lay-in on this fine Tuesday morning.

Poe, on the other hand, had been up since 6. He took a shower, combed his hair into a semblance of ruliness. He had packed his four favourite suits, each of which was perfect for separate occasions; Poe was having difficulty determining which suit was appropriate for today.

“Wear your old man suit,” Finn called through the door, “you think this woman needs help right? She needs a friend, not a hot-shot lawyer. Save the hot-shot lawyer suit for when you drag her husband to court.”

Poe nodded his agreement, and though Finn couldn’t see him he knew that Finn knew he nodded; they had a weird connection like that.

His ‘old man’ suit, as Finn had called it, was actually a re-tailored hand-me-down from his father. His dad owned precisely two suits, one Poe would wear today, and his wedding tuxedo. It was a blue-green tweed that did not favour either hue, but looked marvellous on both Poe and Kes, thanks to their olive complexion. Poe usually paired it with a plaid vest, any button up he wanted, and a yellow or red patterned tie. On the hanger, it looked absolutely ridiculous. On Poe and Kes it somehow worked. 

Poe had learned that this particular suit put many people at ease; it made him seem very personable, like a favourite teacher, or a counsellor of sorts. Exactly the type of vibe he was hoping to give off today.

He stood in front of the mirror, fussing over his tie while he slipped his feet into some light brown dress shoes.

“Stop acting like it’s a date,” Finn called.

Poe glanced at the clock, it was half seven, “I’ll see you later Finn. Debrief at lunch?”

“I’ll let you know which dresses they say yes to, and the state of the stocks,” Finn responded, “you let me know if we need to kick some legal ass.”

Poe hoped he was joking about the stocks, as he slipped on his dark green wool coat and slipped his grey scarf around his neck. 

\-------------------------------------------------

At ten to eight, Poe walked into Katana Cafe; a cursory look around immediately told him who he was looking for. She was sitting in an armchair absently tapping her pen against her notebook - with her left hand. 

Absently, Poe reached into his inner pocket and felt for the note, which he had kept on his person since he found it a few days ago. Sometimes he would take it out and read it a few times again to make sure it was real, trying not to think too hard on what could be happening to this person that would make them call out for help in such an unconventional way.

Without even considering hesitating, Poe walked up to her table and said, “hello friend.”

She jumped slightly, as if being knocked out of her train of thought.

“I’m sorry?”

Poe’s heart stopped in his chest, she had such a timid voice. The only other time he heard such a tone was in young children or from his clients who were escaping their husbands. But it wasn't her voice that caught him completely off-guard. He had her note memorized, it played on a near constant loop in the back of his mind. _An ugly little thing like me, imagine that._

_An ugly little thing like me, imagine that._

_You couldn't be more wrong about that bit, stranger._ Poe thought, _I sincerely believe you are the most beautiful woman I've had the pleasure of laying eyes on._

As if to combat the timidity of her own voice, the woman flashed a polite smile at him, which made his heart clench for entirely different reasons that he decidedly chose to ignore.

 _No, you definitely are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire existence._ Poe mentally corrected himself, before schooling his thoughts, remembering why he was here.

He returned a smile to her, dimpling his cheeks and putting on his warmest face, “is it alright if I call you that? Friend?” He decided that the most subtle way to announce his intrusion was with her own words. If she had changed her mind over the course of the past few days, she could just walk away. Poe wasn’t going to stop her if that’s what she wanted.

She stared at him blankly, blinking a few times in confusion.

Poe took this as a good sign and continued, “I find myself in desperate need of a friend, so I am going to make the grand assumption and say that we are just that. Friends.” 

He threw his coat over the back of the chair across from her and then set his briefcase down as well.

“Pardon me a second, friend,” he continued smiling, going out of his way to pose no threat. “I’m just going to grab myself a coffee,” he noted the absence of a plate with her, “would you like something to eat?”

The beautiful woman just shook her head slightly, it was an almost imperceptible movement but Poe caught it.

Poe nodded at her and made his way to the line.

She is so small. He found himself thinking. Everything about her screams fear. She’s sitting rigidly, she won’t make direct eye contact for more than a second, minimal movement. 

Poe pulled out his phone to send a text to Finn: **this might be a case afterall, have to talk to the girl first. But she’s unconsciously waving a million flags to me. Talk when I come back.**

“Let me guess,” a voice interrupted his thoughts, “the sweetest coffee-esque concoction I can give you?”

Poe turned his attention away from the woman in her seat and to the barista behind the counter. She was somehow both old and young, with large glasses, and hair that was probably insane to manage, but pulled up into an elegant twist and wrapped with a scarf. She had dark skin, but the most piercing gaze Poe had ever come across in his life.

“So, sonny,” she snapped kindly, which Poe wasn’t aware could be done until that moment, “what’ll it be?”

“Um. Caramel?” He smiled sheepishly.

“No, white mocha,” she nodded.

“Uh?” Poe started to correct her.

“I have spoken,” her tone held no room for argument.

He saw her eyes flick to the young woman he left his things with and she busied herself behind the counter.

“Take these too. She’ll likely want the chocolate, you’ll have to stomach blueberry,” she handed Poe two plates with the largest muffins he had ever seen.

Poe nodded, and reached for his wallet.

“Don’t you dare,” the woman said, “you’re here doing good work, Mr. Dameron. I’ve got this, what good is owning the cafe if I can’t indulge a few good people once in a while?”

Poe looked her in the eye and dropped a twenty dollar bill in the tip jar, before collecting the two plates and his coffee and making his way back to the table.

“Blueberry or chocolate chip?” He said to announce his return.

“Um,” was all she said.

“Of course, chocolate chip.” He plonked a plate in front of her. “Forgive me, for being so forward but I’ve always hated eating with someone who wasn’t also eating and - no offense - but you look like you’re starving.”

She looked at him like he just revealed the key to the universe and dug into her muffin.

He smiled again, he couldn’t help it, “my name is Poe Dameron,”he kept his voice soft, “and if you are who I think you are, I am here to tell you that it very much does matter what your name is, and I am here to be your friend, if you’ll have me.”

The woman swallowed her bite and took a large sip of her drink while Poe began to nurse his as well.

He sat there quietly while she scrutinized him, Poe was suddenly grateful that he went with his old-man suit -- Finn had been right, of course.

He watched as she seemed to wage a small war with herself.

After some time her soft voice reemerged, “I’m Rey.”

“Rey,” he repeated softly.

 _Of absolute sunshine,_ he thought. 

“What can I do for you, Mister Dameron?” She smiled cordially at him.

_Right to the point I see, well I can play that way too._

He reached into his vest pocket, “well, see I’ve found this note in my hotel room,” he pulled out the note. 

After a slight silence he couldn’t hold back his question anymore: “are you still planning to escape?” 

He watched as the lovely rose hue drained from her cheeks and her eyes glazed over.

Poe realized he had just lost her to the depths of her mind again and decided to give her a minute to come back.

After a minute or so he dipped his head to try to make eye contact again, “Rey?” He all but whispered.

“Sorry,” she said suddenly, “what were you saying?”

He noticed she was blinking quite rapidly, as if to hold back tears.

He gently slid a napkin across the table to her, “escape?” He reminded softly.

“I don’t know how,” she half sobbed, wiping at her face before her makeup would run.

“I could help you,” he offered.

“I have to go.” She stood abruptly.

“At least take this,” his voice remained soft, as he slowly reached into his pocket.

Rey flinched when she couldn’t see his hand anymore, but Poe recognized this reaction and forced himself to move slower.

“I’m just grabbing my card for you, is that alright?”

She kept her eyes shut but nodded in response.

Poe let out a soft laugh at the sight of her scrunched nose, “sunshine, I need you to look at me,” he kept his voice deliberately soft. 

Why did you call her sunshine, you idiot. He scolded himself.

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open.

“This is my card, I’m going to reach into my other pocket for a pen, is that alright?” He asked, genuinely concerned at her reaction to not seeing his hands.

She held out her left hand, with which she held a pen.

“Oh,” Poe had completely forgotten how he knew it was her, “thank you.”

Slowly, he reached out for the pen and Rey nodded in reply.

“I’m going to write my personal number on here, and if you need help I want you to call me. At any time, do you understand me?”

Rey stared at him, incredulous

“Any. Time.” He insisted.

After a few beats of silence she nodded.

He tucked his card into the cap of the pen and held it out for her.

Tentatively, almost like a scared cat, she reached out to take it from him.

She pulled back so quickly Poe was worried he somehow stung her. 

Without another word, she grabbed her coat and purse and practically ran out the door.

Poe watched her leave in silence, scared of making the situation worse.

Once she was out of sight he slumped back into his chair and let out a huge sigh.

“That one needs your help,” a voice came from behind him.

He twisted to see the barista; he raised his brows in question to her.

“Keep meeting her here, I’ll keep you two fed.”

Poe recognized the no-nonsense tone again and decided he didn’t have the energy to argue with her.

“Alright, I think she’s coming back next week, same time.”

“I’m Maz,” the barista told him, “see you next week, Mr. Dameron.”

Poe gave her a small wave, trying to puzzle through all of his interactions in this cafe, trying to figure out what kind of person Rey was underneath all of her anxiety.

It wasn’t until he was back at the hotel, having lunch with Finn that he realized Maz had called him Mr. Dameron twice, but he never introduced himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know it's not my best, but any feedback would be appreciated <3


	6. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little nothing chapter, to get some plot out of the way. It took me way too long to figure out how to write it, but the next one will have more, promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars

Chapter 6: Interlude

The week between coffee visits - even in his mind Poe couldn’t call them dates or appointments, so visits would have to do - was a very eventful week for Poe; in the most innocent and innocuous way.

He had heard from Leia that the family lawyer at Organa and Solo was taking paternity leave, so she wouldn’t be returning until the summer, at the earliest. Leia told him that she needed a family lawyer to take over her current cases and any new ones she might pick up before the new year, so Poe decided to stick around for a month or two to help out. 

Finn wanted to stay in town with Poe as well, but Poe insisted that he should get back to their firm. Poe was confident that Finn could handle running the place without him around for a few weeks, or even indefinitely - not that Finn was aware of that yet.

This morning, Friday, Leia sent him a text about a condo he could rent for a few months, she told him it was near her son’s place and it would be perfect for him. She had taken the liberty to scheduling him an appointment with the building manager later that morning. 

Poe was looking at the building online and was amazed at just how bougie this place was. Everything was just there, gym, laundry, greenhouse on the roof. Anything that wasn’t readily available at the building itself was also taken care of, in a way. Poe looked at the photos Leia had sent him from the building manager, one was of a bulletin board that was apparently in the laundry facility. It was covered in business cards; cards for dry cleaners, seamstresses, dog walkers, baby sitters, hairdressers, barbers, tanning salons, everything.

Poe smiled at the email from Leia, where she basically told him to get his ass in gear and get this single locked down. This place seemed like the best option to make a temporary home out of. 

\-----

Poe had been to the appointment set up by Leia, and knew that he wanted to live in the condo before he even left the lobby. It was very open, light, and spacious. 

The manager had informed him that although he was there about a single, there was only a two bedroom available. Poe shrugged this off, the difference in price not mattering in the slightest, and said he would use the spare room as an office so he might actually sleep in the bedroom.

The papers were signed within 90 minutes of them meeting, and Poe was on his way to the hotel to re-pack his suitcase into his rental car - Finn had taken the company vehicle back home. Afterwards, Poe decided to wander around town to look for a few homing touches to his new temporary apartment - due to the newness of the building, Poe was able to move in on the same day, which was something he had never experienced before but was very excited about having a temporary home. 

Poe enjoyed plants and was hoping to find a nursery somewhere so he could grab a few succulents, and maybe a runner or two. 

He called Leia on his outing who assured him that there would be furniture waiting for him at his new apartment, she was friendly with the manager so she would simply let herself in - a move that was only legal because of her status as secondary-mother to Poe. 

Poe met with the building manager to pick up a key fob that would allow him into the underground parking, and proceeded to his new suite to drop off his plant friends.

Once he finished with that, he decided to hit the gym in the building.

He could hardly contain his surprise when he saw Rey working out on an elliptical in the far corner, he saw that she had some headphones in and decided against disturbing her. 

_Actually,_ he thought, _due to the precarious nature of our relationship, I should just go back to my suite, do a floor workout. Don’t want to creep her out._

Had he moved further into the gym he would have seen that Ben Solo was standing in front of her machine, holding a stopwatch in one hand and pressing the "increase difficulty" button at random intervals, all while keeping a firm eye on the calories-burned number on her machine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is just here for Poe to move into the same complex and have a glimpse at the way Ben treats Rey without her withholding information. More to come in the later chapters, hopefully. Sorry this took so long.  
> As always, let me know what you think <3


	7. Coffee Round Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee date round two with shifting perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: I do not own star wars  
> POV shifts Rey-Poe-Rey-Poe

Chapter 7: Coffee Take Two

REY POV***

When Rey arrived at Katana Cafe, she immediately noticed that Poe was already there. Dressed down this time, in a pair of dark jeans, and a forest green pull-over sweater. His hair was sweetly tousled, like he just rolled himself out of bed and smoothed the sides with dampened hands. 

The sweater was doing absolutely nothing to hide his broad shoulders, and hard chest. Rey fought the urge to lick her lips.

_That is completely inappropriate, Breha._ Ben’s voice crept through her mind, like a slow-rolling mist laced with poison. _You know damn well no man other than me will be interested in an ugly little thing like you. Look at you, you can’t even keep your weight down. What the hell is wrong with you, looking at another man like that knowing I’m the only one willing to take care of you._

She cast her eyes to her feet and slowly made her way to the table.

\------------------  
POE POV***

Poe tried not to gawk as Rey walked through the door of Katana Cafe. He had taken the liberty of ordering her a chocolate chip muffin again, and Maz had made them breakfast sandwiches as well. 

Initially, he considered the sandwiches to be a bit of an overkill; he didn’t want to stuff Rey to the point where she was uncomfortable, and he certainly didn’t want her to feel like she was being forced to eat.

That was, of course, until he saw her walk through the door.

Her face was gaunt. He saw that her cheeks sunk in, she had dark marks under her eyes, and her hair lost its shine. Instead of a warm chestnut brown, instead it looked dull and limp in the bun she hastily pulled it into. Poe felt his heart lurch in his chest.

_You better start taking care of this woman, Poe Dameron._ Poe heard his father, Kes, speaking in his mind. _You know damn well that she needs your help, mijo. And you know damn well that you’re capable of helping her. Step up._  
Poe shook his head, sobering himself. He rose to meet Rey and reached his hands out to hold hers, not anticipating her reaction.

\-------------------  
***REY POV

Looking back, Rey had no idea what she was thinking. No insight into her thought process in that particular moment in time.

She saw Poe’s hands reaching out to her and immediately ducked her head, drew her shoulders in and held her breath; waiting for the blow to land.

She saw Poe’s feet appear in her peripheral, and she drew further into herself.

“Rey?” Poe’s gentle voice reached her ears. “Rey, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Rey dropped her shoulders and peeked up at him. 

His face lost it’s half smile, he looked like she slapped him, hard.

“Ohmigawd, I’msosorryPoe,” she said in a rush, “Idon’tknowwhyI---”

He held his hands up again, fingers splayed wide and keeping them close to his body to show he was no threat.

“Why don’t we sit down and enjoy some coffee and breakfast that Maz has forced on me,” he tilted his hands slightly and pointed to the table behind him.

Rey bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling, and nodded once mostly to herself.

“Alright, let’s dig in before she forces lunch on us too.” 

She could hear the smile in Poe’s voice and felt it warm up her insides.

\---------------  
***POE POV

Poe realized his mistake at the absolute last second.

_Way to go, idiot._ Finn apparently joined the party in his mind, _you had a suspicion that she was being physically mistreated, and you decide to approach her hands first?_

_You mean to tell me that my mijo - mi unico hijo - knew that this bella dama was in trouble, problemas realmente serios, and he has done nothing? Nada?_ His dad chimed in.

_I know, it’s so unlike him. Almost...mal._ Finn had an awful Spanish accent, and it was recreated perfectly in Poe’s mental ear.

_Muy malo._ Kes agreed.

_**Alright, enough. I’ll handle this.**_ Poe hushed them in his head. 

“Rey?” He all but whispered. “Rey, I’m not going to hurt you.” 

He watched as her shoulders dropped and she slowly looked up so she could just barely see him in her peripheral vision.

He kept any mirth for her, and any anger at whoever was doing this to her off his face as best he could.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry Poe! I don’t know what I -” she said in a rush.

He held his hands up again, this time he kept them splayed wide and close to his person as to appear as harmless as he could while literal venom was running through his veins. 

“Why don’t we sit down and enjoy some coffee and breakfast that Maz has forced on me,” he tilted his hands slightly and pointed to the table behind him.

Rey bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling, and nodded once mostly to herself.

“Alright, let’s dig in before she forces lunch on us too.” 

Rey sat in the squashy chair and tentatively pulled the sandwich towards herself.

Poe sipped his coffee while she ate. It was fascinating, watching her eat. She all but inhaled the food, leaving no crumb behind. Judging by the look on her face, he thought she seriously considered licking the plate clean of any invisible crumbs.

She looked up at him, fear apparent in her eyes.

He smiled lightly at her and pushed a glass of water towards her.

“You might want to eat the next thing really slowly,” he remarked quietly.

She froze, mid-sip.

“What I mean is,” he said quickly, “is that if you haven’t been eating well, then this sudden intake of calories might upset your stomach and you might puke it all up.” 

He could almost see the gears shifting in her head before she nodded and took another slow sip of her water. 

Poe couldn’t help but track the stray droplet that dripped from the side of her mouth, down her sharp jawline and further down the column of her throat. 

If she noticed his heated stare, she didn’t draw attention to it. 

Poe blinked and shook his head.

_Mijo!_ Kes’s mental self berated Poe.

_Kes I gotta agree with him here, she was hot last week and could stand to gain a few pounds. Imagine if she were in optimal condition. She would be a **babe.**_

**_Shut up, both of you please._ **

Poe wasn’t sure when his father and best friend became his little shoulder angel and devil respectively. But he certainly enjoyed fake arguments with the two of them over fake arguments with two tiny versions of himself (one in a white suit, one in a black one, as if he could be any less cliche.)

Rey gently placed her water glass down, making as little sound as possible before she looked up at Poe.

Poe was taken aback by her making direct eye contact - something that had yet to happen for an extended period of time in their very short friendship.

“So, are you here to help me? You’re here to answer me distress call?” She said frankly. 

Poe could only nod.

“Where do we start?” She asked.

Poe stared at her for a few seconds in silence before he remembered that he needed to answer her.

“Oh! Ah - um - uh - why don’t you just start...from the beginning?” He suggested lamely.

Rey gave him a look that told him he sounded just as lame as he thought he did.

“Alright. From the beginning then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Told you this next one would be better, I'll write the whole (likely abridged) version of Rey's story this weekend and hopefully have it up by Monday.  
> Let me know what you think (I am slightly inebriated and will look at this chapter again tomorrow to see if I have to fix or add so check back in on this one with the next update maybe? xx)


	8. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for it being up by Monday, sorry guys! Please forgive me!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars

Chapter 8: The Beginning

“Alright. From the beginning then,” Rey sighed, staring into the coffee Poe had handed to her a few minutes ago. 

Poe, to his credit, sat across from her, not fidgeting or making any unnecessary noises while she gathered her thoughts.

“I was given permission by one of my professors to take a fourth year course in my second year,” she felt the words leave her mouth before she could recall thinking them, and decided that’s how the rest of the conversation would go. Word vomit, in no particular order, they could establish a timeline later if he really wanted one.

Poe leaned in, elbows on his knees while his hands joined together to cradle his coffee; his dark eyes focusing solely on Rey.

She could almost feel the weight of his stare, and forced her eyes to stay on her mug.

“We hit it off right away, he was impressed that I was taking the course so young. I had never been liked by a boy before, which I know sounds pathetic and stupid but it’s true. I was always in Advanced Placement, but I was never good at talking to people, I never went to the same school for more than a year I was moved around so much - but that’s a story for another time,” she sucked a deep breath in through her teeth and took a hasty sip of coffee. 

Deciding to risk it, she glanced up at Poe through her lashes, but immediately had to look down again. He held so much compassion right on his face she couldn’t stand to see it while she was talking.

“We started dating about a month into the semester, and things were really excellent for about two weeks, give or take. He started really small. Looking back it is so obvious what was going to happen, and I can literally see it snowballing in my head, but back then? It was almost...innocuous, you know?”

She could almost hear Poe nodding.

“Plus, like I said - I was never liked by a boy before, and I didn’t have many friends to tell me about their relationships so I didn’t know when he raised some red flags; looking back now they’re obvious but I didn’t know any better at the time. Anyway, I was in a rough place mentally and kept screwing up the most basic portions of the homework, and he would just...say the meanest things! About how obviously I wasn’t as smart as everyone thought I was, or how I certainly wasn’t cut out for the aero engineering program. Anyway, stupid mistakes aside, I would find really creative solutions to problems; for a lot of them I would assume limited resources and try to use as little as possible, or what the people up there,” she pointed upwards, indicating outerspace, “would have access to in a dire situation, so I passed the class with flying colours. Top of the class,” she paused to drink some more coffee.

“Where was he on the rank?”

She smiled into her mug, “fifth,” she whispered.

She had said it so quietly she figured Poe wouldn’t be able to hear her, much like Ben did when she talked like that. But she was surprised to see a smug smirk appear on Poe’s face - which immediately fell when he remembered who they were talking about.

“So that didn’t go over well?”

“He said it was because I’m the charity case. The ridicule had gone on for so long I just accepted what he said. Along the way he convinced me that my friends thought I was stupid and worthless, so I stopped talking to them; then my scholarship fell through so I couldn’t go back to school, and I...I don’t know how I got here, Poe.” She finally looked up at him.

Poe looked her in the eye and nibbled on his lower lip.

After a few moments of silence she started again, “so it started off mostly verbal, but the first time he laid a hand on me was about 6 or 8 weeks into our relationship - which is also when he started talking about my friends being monsters. I don’t remember what I said, but he gripped my arm really hard and pulled me toward him and said into my ear, really quietly and scarily, ‘if you ever embarrass me like that again you won’t walk right for a week.’” 

She heard Poe inhale sharply.

“I thought he was joking so I scoffed at him, and he let me go so I didn’t think anything of it. And I thought nothing was going to happen, weeks went by! But almost 3 months in when we were...intimate...he suddenly got this look on his face and he pinned me to our bed - ” she felt tears welling up in her eyes and willed them back, “he - he pinned me down to the bed with his arm over my throat, and his legs holding mine down and he -” her voice broke.

“You don’t have to say,” Poe said quietly.

“No, you need to know,” she said viciously, “he can’t have my voice, Poe. He has everything else.”

Poe dropped to his knees on the floor and half waddled around the table to kneel in front of Rey, he craned his neck down to look her in the eye. 

“No he does not,” he said simply, but in a voice that left no room for argument.

“Anyway, he was right. I couldn’t walk properly for days. I had bruises along my neck and on my thighs,” she whispered.

Poe’s large hands encompassed hers, almost like he was hugging her with his hands.

“Anyway. That was almost two years ago. Now he’s not quite so physical about it but...he controls just about everything.”

“So we have to give you some of it back,” Poe said simply.

“I can’t call or text anyone without him knowing about it, he has access to my phone records,” she whispered.

“So we can buy you a cheap little burner phone on a pay-as-you-go plan,” Poe shrugged.

“I have no money in my name, our accounts are joined,” she felt tears rolling down her face.

“So we open you an account at another bank.”

“Poe, I have nowhere to go, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I haven’t even told you everything.”

He shrugged, “do you want to tell me more?”

She shook her head, feeling the dam break inside of her. 

\-----------------------

Suddenly Poe had a sobbing Rey against his chest.

He hummed softly to her while tentatively rubbing soothing circles on her back.

He caught Maz’s attention and signalled for a coffee refill.

“Hey, sunshine,” he murmured to Rey, “it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I lost my outline for this so I'm going to have to take some time to reread what I have and make a plan. I'll try to post more often, thank you so much for your patience <3

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: what'd you think? Should I continue this?


End file.
